Volumes are block storage devices that you attach to instances to enable persistent storage. You can attach a volume to a running instance or detach a volume and attach it to another instance at any time. You can also create a snapshot from or delete a volume. Only administrative users can create volume types.

Create a volume

1. Log in to the dashboard.
2. Select the appropriate project from the drop down menu at the top left.
3. On the Project tab, open the Volumes tab and click Volumes category.
4. Click Create Volume. In the dialog box that opens (fig), enter or select the following values.
   Volume Name: Specify a name for the volume.
   Description: Optionally, provide a brief description for the volume.
   Volume Source: Select one of the following options:
   1. No source, empty volume: Creates an empty volume. An empty volume does not contain a file system or a partition table.
   2. Snapshot: If you choose this option, a new field for Use snapshot as a source displays. You can select the snapshot from the list.
   3. Image: If you choose this option, a new field for Use image as a source displays. You can select the image from the list.
   4. Volume: If you choose this option, a new field for Use volume as a source displays. You can select the volume from the list. Options to use a snapshot or a volume as the source for a volume are displayed only if there are existing snapshots or volumes.
      Type: Leave this field blank.
      Size (GB): The size of the volume in gibibytes (GiB). Note the green bars on the right side of the image (Volume Limits), which represent the disk space and the number of volumes that you want to occupy.
      Availability Zone: Leave the default Nova.
5. Click Create Volume.

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The dashboard shows the volume on the Volumes tab.

Attach a volume to an instance

After you create one or more volumes, you can attach them to instances. You can attach a volume to one instance at a time.

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mount /dev/<volume> /mnt

Detach a volume from an istance

First, you need to unmount the volume, using the command

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A message indicates whether the action was successful. The detached volume can then be associated to another VM, as described above (you won’t have to re-create the file system, otherwise you will loose the content of the volume!).

Create a snapshot from a volume

1. Log in to the dashboard.
2. Select the appropriate project from the drop down menu at the top left.
3. On the Project tab, open the Volumes tab and click Volumes category.
4. Select a volume from which to create a snapshot.
5. In the Actions column, click Create Snapshot.
6. In the dialog box that opens, enter a snapshot name and a brief description.
7. Confirm your changes.
   The dashboard shows the new volume snapshot in Volume Snapshots tab.

Edit a volume

1. Log in to the dashboard.
2. Select the appropriate project from the drop down menu at the top left.
3. On the Project tab, open the Volumes tab and click Volumes category.
4. Select the volume that you want to edit.
5. In the Actions column, click Edit Volume.
6. In the Edit Volume dialog box, update the name and description of the volume.
7. Click Edit Volume.

Note: You can extend a volume by using the Extend Volume option available in the More dropdown list and entering the new value for volume size.

Delete a volume

When you delete an instance, the data in its attached volumes is not deleted.

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